Portable container for military caps



J1me 1958 A. ca. TRUDEAU v PQRTABLE CONTAINER FOR MILITARY CAPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 23, 1.956

R m m m ARTHUR G. TRUDEAU ATTORNEYS J1me 1953 A. cs. TRUDEAU PORTABLE CONTAINER FOR MILITARY CAPS File d Nov. 2a, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ARTHUR G. TRUDEAU ATIQRNEYS 6 '1! iii, .15

Patented June 17, 1958 2,839,217 PORTABLE CONTAINER FOR MILITARY CAPS Arthur G. Trudeau, Middlehury,

ville Cap Corporation, of Kentucky Vt., assignor to Louis- Louisville, Ky., a corporation This invention relates generally to containers, but has reference more particularly to a portable container which has been designed for the storage and transport of military caps.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a container of the character described, which consists of parts which are interchangeable with each other, whereby a single part may be used as either the body or lid of the container, and whereby a manufacturer will have to stock only one such part for use as either the bodyor lid of the container.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container of the character described, in which the hinge parts are so located as to permit each part of the container to rest on a single fiat surface or plane, when the container is fully opened.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container, in which the hinge parts are of identical construction, whereby only one hinge part need be stocked to form all of the hinges.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel means of retaining the caps against displacement from their position in the container.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a concealed plastic accessory or insignia box, which aids in preventing displacement of the caps from the container.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the container in closed condition;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the container in open condition;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the container as shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken on the line 6'6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the lower left hand portions of the container parts shown in Fig. 4; but showing a modification of the invention, and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken on the line 99 of Fig. 8.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive of the drawings, the container will be seen to comprise identical parts formed of plastic or like material. One of the parts, shown at the right in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, comprises a bottom 1, front and rear Walls 3 and 2 respectively, a right side wall 4 and a left side wall 5. The other part, shown at the left in Figs. 2, 3 and l, comprises a top 1, front and rear walls 2 and 3 respectively, a right side wall 4 and a left side wall 5. The rear wall 2 of the first part is somewhat higher than the front Wall 3, and the front wall 2 of the second part is somewhat higher than the rear wall 3 thereof, so that the side Walls which interconnect the front and rear walls have edges 6 which slope in the manner shown.

Although the container parts are identical, so that either part could be used as the body or lid (cover) of the container, the part shown at the right in Figs. 2 and 4 will, for convenience, be referred to as the body of the container, and the part shown at the left in Figs. 2 and 4 will be Secured to the outer surfaces of the sides 4 and 5 of the body of the container, adjacent the rear face 2 thereof, as by means of screws 7 and nuts 8, are hinge plates 9, each formed from a single piece of flat sheet metal and provided at its upper end with a rearwardly extending ear 10.

Pivotally secured to the rear face of the front wall-2 of the body of the container is a carrying handle 11, for transporting the container when in closed condition.

Secured to the outer surfaces of the sides 4 and 5 of the lid or cover of the container, adjacent the rear face 3 thereof, as by means of screws 7 and nuts 8, are hinge plates 9 which are identical with the hinge plates 9 which have already been described, except that the ears 10 of these hinge plates are offset laterally with respect to the hinge plates of the body by means of spacers 14, as shown in Fig. 5. As shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the cars 10 of the hinge plates are pivotally connected to each other, as by means of screws 15 and nuts 16, the screws serving as hinge pins.

By utilizing hinge plates of the character described and locating them in the position shown, with the pivotal connection at a point midway of the height of the container, when closed, several advantages are obtained. In the first place, when the lid or cover of the container is swung over the body of the container, the former will fit directly over the latter, as clearly shown in Fig. l, to form a rectangular container of uniform depth, which, after being latched or locked, as by means of a conventional latch or lock diagrammatically indicated at 17, can be easily carried or transported, as by means of the handle 11. In the second place, when the body of the container is positioned on a flat surface, with the bottom 1 of such body resting on such surface, as indicated in Fig. 4, and the lid or cover is swung to fully open position, the top 1 of such lid or cover will also lie fiat on such surface, as shown in Fig. 4, providing easy access to both parts of the container, and eliminating strain on the hinge plates as well as on their connections to the container parts and to each other.

Each part of the container is adapted to receive a military cap of a well-known style or type, as shown in Fig. 4, such cap conventionally consisting of a body 18, hand portion 19, and visor 2t).

For the purpose of retaining each cap in position, irrespective of the position of the container, a band or strap 21 of elastic material is provided in each part of the container, and is permanently secured to the wall 3, as by means of a rivet 22. After the cap is positioned on the part 1 of the container part, the band 21 is stretched over the cap, and engaged with the band 19, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The contraction of the band 21 would normally tend to lift the cap off the part 1, but to overcome this, there is provided in each part of the container, a box 23 of plastic or the like, which is secured to the part 1, as by means of a rivet 24. Each box is provided with a lid or cover 25. The box 23 is adapted to hold insignia and other accessories which are usually worn or used by the user of the cap. As shown in Figs. 4 and 7, the lid referred to as the lid or cover of the container.

25 of each box 23 engages the band portion 19 of the cap and prevents the cap from being lifted off the part 1 by the elastic band 21.

As may be noted in Figs. 3 and 4, the container parts are sufliciently large to hold caps of various sizes. v

i In Figs. 8 and 9, a modification is shown, in which, insteadof utilizing the box 23-25 to prevent lifting of the cap from the part 1 of the container by the elastic band 21, a bar 26 is secured to the wall 2 of each contaiuer part, adjacent the part 1, so that any tendency of the elastic band 21 to lift the cap off the part 1 is resisted by the engagement of the visor 20 with this bar.

It is thus seen that I have provided a container of the character described, which is characterized by the following advantages:

(:1) Virtually all parts of the container, including the container sections and hinge plates, are identical, so that the manufacturer need stock only a minimum number of such parts, which are interchangeable with each other.

(1)) The hinge plates are so located and so connected with. each other as to permit each part of the container to rest on a single flat surface or plane, when the container is fully opened, as well as to permit the parts to form a single rectangular container of uniform depth, when the container is closed.

(c) The elastic bands 21 and the accessory boxes 23 or bars 26 act conjointly to retain the caps in position, irrespective of the position of the container.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In a container of the character described, a body comprising a bottom, a vertical front and rear walls, and vertical side walls, the rear wall being of greater height than the front wall, and the side walls having upper edges which slope from the upper edge of the rear wall to the upper edge of the front wall, a cover comprising a top,

vertical front and rear walls, and vertiealside walls, the rear wall of the cover being of the same height as the front wall of the body, the front wall of the cover being of the same height as the rear Wallof the body, and the side walls being identical with the side walls of the body, and means for pivotally connecting the cover to the body, whereby. the cover may be swung from a position in which its top is coplanar with the bottom of the cover to a closed position in which the front wall ofthe cover is coplanar with the front 'wall of the body, the rear wall of the cover is'coplanar with the rear wall of the body, and the side walls of the cover are coplanar with the side walls of the body, thereby providing a closed container of uniform height, said means comprising fiat hinge plates secured to the side walls of the body adjacent the rear wall of the body, said hinge plates having cars which project rearwardly from the upper ends of said hinge plates when the body of the container is disposed with its bottom on a fiat horizontal surface, and identical fiat hinge plates secured to the side walls of the cover adjacent the rear wall of the cover, said last-named hinge plates having cars which project rearwardly from the lower ends of said last-named hinge plates when the cover is in closed position over the body, said last-named hinge plates being ofiset laterally fromthe planes of said firstnamed hinge plates, and pivot pins interconnecting the ears of the first and last-named hinge plates, said pins having their axes midway of the height of the container when in closed condition.

References Cited in the .file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS- 845,519 Caley Feb. 26, 1907 1,462,124 Pierce July 17, 1923 2,144,481 Bryant Ian. 17, 1939 2,200,399 Primas May 14, 1940 2,583,350 Witzgall Jan. 22, 1952 2,586,700 Noble Feb. 19, 1952 2,594,467 Lynch Apr. 29,1952 2,693,275 Smith Nov. 2, 1954 

